ICT Training Package Update

Greetings from the ICT Training Package Update - Scoping Webinar. There has been criticism of the relevance of education to jobs. The vocational education and training (VET) sector takes this very seriously & are currently reviewing offerings for computing, cyber and other ICT.

The ICT Training Package currently consists of 11 qualifications. The highest is an Advanced Diploma of Information Technology, then there is a Diploma, three Certificate IV in IT, Telecommunications Engineering, Telecommunications Network Design, three Certificate IIIs, & two Certificate IIs. There is also work being done on a vocational degree in IT.

Some issues are a high non-competition rate and a lack of interest in micro-credentials. ICT skills are in demand, shorter vocational courses are supposed to be a good way to deliver this, so what are people not enrolling and not completing? What are the current areas in demand? The universities should be undertaking a process like this. 

One issue which came up was the role of vendor certifications as a substitute for, or complement to, formal qualifications. I see things like Microsoft certification as a complement to formal qualifications, but employers may see certification as preferable. Some VET providers and universities offer training towards vendor certification as part of their courses.

2026 Australian Defence Integrated Investment Program

The Australian Defence Department (which I used to work for) today released a 2026 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program. The strategy includes significant investment in uncrewed systems ("drones"), including the MQ‑28A Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (drone fighter), Ghost Shark underwater vehicle (extra large robot submarine), Speartooth (large robot submarine), Bluebottle surface vessel (robot solar sailing boat), and Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (robot missile ships). Apart from the Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels, where there are six planned, each with 32 vertical launch cells, the number and armaments of these drones are not given. 

While the planned $5B sounds like a lot of money for drones, it is relatively modest compared to investments in crewed platforms. Also what is absent from the plan are the land based equivalents of these robot ships and aircraft. In addition most of the funded drone programs are for imported technology, although some will be manufactured in Australia. I suggest Australia needs to invest in the talent and technology to build its own. Drones are relatively cheap to develop, compared to crewed platforms. 

Transport Hackathon Solving My Bus Problem

Greetings from the"ACET Zero-Emission-Transport Hackathon, run by the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) at the University of Canberra today. I am here to mentor teams, but ironically, I  missed the bus on the way here this morning. On a positive note, I told some of the teams about this, and they are working on a solution. The teams have until this afternoon to come up with an idea and pitch it for a share in $10,000. I just slipped out for a coffee at UoC's innovation center next door and saw it is still the office of Instaclustr, a Canberra startup success story.

CBRIN staff are taking the teams through the standard ideation process. This is a key skill which most students miss out on. They may know how to implement something, but not what the customer needs.

Starlink in the Pacific

 Greetings from State of the Pacific, hosted by the Australian National University in Canberra for the next 3 days. Along with political and social issues, there is a session Thursday morning on Starlink's effect on Pacific communications. The conference is free for anyone, in person, or online. The first day's free lunch was very good. 

Also a session on Big Data for Pacific Democracy, on Wednesday. 

Innovation Ecosystems Handbook

Greetings from the launch of the Handbook of Innovation Ecosystems by John Howard at the Canberra Innovation Network's refurbished meeting room. The ACT Chief Minister is on the panel but having to wait for a couple of academics to talk. 

Walsh Bay in Sydney got a mention, as a cultural centre complementing the innovation startups. Those not from Sydney, or Australia, may know it as NCIS Sydney's HQ and features under the credits. 

When the Chief Minister got to talk he nominated Canberra having one less level of government. He mentioned this allowed a special economic zone to be created for the University of Canberra. 

Michelle Jasper asked about the Canberra Innovation Corridor (CIC), which I had never heard of. Apparently this extends from University of Canberra through the city centre to the airport. Canberra was designed on a number of theoretical axes which were made real in the street layout. The CIC might be best manifest in the number 3 airport bus. 

The Chief Minister challenged the audience to find adaptive reuse for Commonwealth Government buildings which are about to be vacant. What occurs to me is Singapore style mixed use, with accommodation for singles, families, the elderly, plus retail, schools, and community services in the one building.

The Chief Minister also asked what government could do with AI. My suggestion is to start by training the staff how to use it. Those most interested will meet like minded individuals at the training and start working on projects. Some of this will be officially endorsed and 8n other cases the public servants will need to form companies.

Parliamentary Inquiry into the rise in the number of Australian university graduates who struggle to find work after graduating

The Australian Senate is inquiring into "The rise in the number of Australian university graduates who struggle to find work after graduating". Normally I would have to compose a short pithy summary into what an inquiry is about. But in this case that is a direct quote from the very short terms of reference. The Senate Education and Employment References Committee has called for submissions by 5 June 2026, aiming to report by 20 November 2026.

The full terms of reference is: 

"The rise in the number of Australian university graduates who struggle to find work after graduating, with particular reference to:

1. the state of the entry-level job market for graduates;
2. the quality of university education in Australia;
3. whether graduates of Australian universities are being taught the skills that employers are looking for;
4. the state of affairs in comparable jurisdictions;
5. the economic, social and psychological effect that this experience has on graduates; and
6. any other related matters" 

Some have taken this as an attack on universities, that they are not teaching the right things. But these seem reasonable questions. The Australian community spend a lot  on universities and need to be sure they are getting their moneys worth. 

As one of those teaching work integrate learning and "soft" skills to students, in accordance with professional accreditation requirements, we have a good story to tell. However, in my submission to a previous inquiry, I suggested universities could offer nested online programs with more work integration. My academic colleagues may not like the idea, but I suggest applying more of the techniques from the Vocational Education sector. This would also improve the economic, social and psychological impact of study, as students could undertake it in smaller, cheaper chunks, mostly while employed.

Improved assessment design can also help reduce the stress of study. I am one of those students who suffers stress in formal paper based examinations. As a result I spent my early university years failing, until I realized I could select courses and programs which did not have exams. This limited my choice, buy I was able to help expand the options in my own designing of courses and setting policies for accreditation for my profession.

Innovating education and health

Greetings from Canberra Innovation Network's First Wednesday Connect. Tonight we are at the Australian Catholic University and the pitches are on education, health, and health education. I don't know if this was curated or just because ACU specialises in education and health.